Steering Committee

David W. Covington

David W. Covington, LPC, MBA, is CEO and president of Recovery Innovations, Inc. (doing business as RI International). He is a behavioral health innovator, entrepreneur, and storyteller. He is also a partner in Behavioral Health Link, producer of the Moving America’s Soul on Suicide film series and founder of the international initiatives Crisis Now Ac... Read more

Tia Dole

Tia Dole, PhD, is the chief 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline officer at Vibrant Emotional Health. Dr. Dole is a licensed clinical psychologist and a long-time advocate for the rights of those with intersectional identities. Prior to stepping into her current role, Dr. Dole was the executive director of the Steve Fund, the nation’s only organizat... Read more

John Draper

John Draper, PhD, has more than 30 years of experience in crisis intervention and suicide prevention, and is considered an international expert in crisis contact center practices (e.g., hotline, online chat, and text services). Since 2004, Dr. Draper has been the executive director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (currently 800-273-TALK; 988 as o... Read more

Daniel L. Hatcher

Daniel L. Hatcher is professor of law at the University of Baltimore, teaching at the Civil Advocacy Clinic. Hatcher previously worked at Maryland Legal Aid as assistant director of advocacy, and as staff attorney representing children in foster care and adults with low income. He was also a senior staff attorney with the Children’s Defense Fund. Hatch... Read more

David A. Jobes

David A. Jobes, PhD, ABPP, is a professor of psychology, director of the Suicide Prevention Laboratory, and associate director of clinical training at The Catholic University of America. He is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine. Dr. Jobes has published six books and numerous peer-reviewed journal a... Read more

Matthew Miller

Dr. Matthew Miller is the director of suicide prevention at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he leads a team dedicated to the implementation and reinforcement of evidence-based community and clinical interventions addressing suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention for the Veterans Health Administration. Dr. Miller previously serv... Read more

Preston Mitchum

Preston Mitchum is the director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project. He is a Black queer attorney, advocate, and activist with a focus on the power of Black people, youth, and queer, trans, and nonbinary people. With a decade of legal and policy experience, Mitchum previously served as the director of policy at URGE: Unite for Reproducti... Read more

Christine Yu Moutier

Christine Yu Moutier, MD, serves as the chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and knows the impact of suicide firsthand. After her own lived experience and losing colleagues to suicide, she dedicated herself to fighting this leading cause of death. Dr. Moutier has testified before Congress, the White House, and prov... Read more

Jonathan B. Singer

Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, is associate professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago, past president of the American Association of Suicidology, and coauthor of the 2015 Routledge text, Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention. Dr. Singer is a two-time winner ... Read more

Deb Stone

Dr. Deb Stone has worked in suicide prevention for more than 20 years. Currently, she serves as team lead and lead behavioral scientist for the Suicide Prevention Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Her team focuses on using data, science, action, and collaboration to advance a comprehensi... Read more

Pata Suyemoto (Chair)

Dr. Pata Suyemoto is a feminist scholar, writer, educator, curriculum developer, equity trainer, mental health activist, jewelry designer, and avid bicyclist. She earned her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, focusing her research on anti-racist education and issues of race and racism. Dr. Suyemoto is the training director for the National Asian ... Read more

Elena Rose Vera

Rev. Elena Rose Vera, a Filipina-Ashkenazi transgender woman from rural Oregon, served on the Trans Lifeline executive team from 2018 through 2021. A longtime organizer, educator, and performing artist, Rev. Vera holds an MDiv focused on social justice and community care work. She was ordained a minister by the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, a his... Read more